Snubber for railway car trucks



Dec. 7, 1954 G. E. DATH 2,696,176

SNUBBER FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed March 29, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 In'I/e n lor: Ge me E 17,0 55

G. E. DATH SNUBBER FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed March 29, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIII u 4 VIII/[11111]! 1 United States Patent SNUBBER FOR RAIEWAY AR TRUGKS George E. Dathg. Mokena, Illt, assignor-to W. H. Miner; Inc.,. Chicago, 1112, a corporation: of Delaware Application March. 29, 1950,. Serial: No 1523525 6 Claims. (Cl. 105-197.)

This invention: relates to improvements in railway car trucks, and: more particularly to means cooperating with the'truck bolster of a car for retarding upand downmovement of the same in the truck si'd'e frames, thereby snubbing the action of the truck springs.

The main object of the invention is to provide in a railway car truck yielding means for retarding vertical movement of; the truck bolster; including laterally displaceable blocks mounted on the side frame of the truck at opposite sides of the bolster, springs opposing movement of said. blocks outwardlyaway from the bo'lster, and means on the bolster havin-gcamming action on said blocks during relative up and down movement of the bol'sten and said side frame tomove said blocks against the resistance of the cooperating springs; thereby effectively snubbing the action of the usual' truck springs.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter followmg.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a railway car truck, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, partly broken away, through the side frame of the truck illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Figure 2, with the truck bolster omitted. Figure 4 is a broken view, similar to Figure 3, with the cam plate of the bolster omitted. Figure 5 is an elevational view of the spring pressed slide block shown at the right of Figure 2, looking from left to right in said figure. Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of the block shown in Figure 5. Figure 7 is an elevational view of the cam plate at the right hand side of Figure 2, looking from left to right in said figure.

In said drawings, 10 indicates one of the side frame members of a railway car truck. The side frame member 10 is in the form of a casting and has top and bottom, horizontal members 11 and 12 connected by spaced, vertically disposed members 13-13. As will be understood by those skilled in this art, the railway car truck includes two side frame members 10-10, a truck bolster 14, and the usual truck springs -15, comprising two clusters at opposite sides of the truck. The springs 15 of each side frame are supported on the lower member 12 by the usual spring plate 16. The opposite ends of the bolster 14 are guided between the members 13-13 of the truck side frames, and the bolster is supported by the springs 15-15. The truck bolster, in turn, supports the body bolster of the car.

My improved snubbing means, as illustrated in the drawings, comprises broadly a pair of slide blocks A-A carried by each side frame, springs B-B cooperating with the blocks A-A, and cam plates C-C attached to opposite sides of the bolster 14 at each end thereof.

In carrying out my invention, I provide the vertically disposed spaced members 13-13 of each side frame member 10 of the truck with opposed pockets 17-17, which are located at opposite sides of the bolster, each pocket opening inwardly toward the bolster and being defined by horizontal top and bottom walls 18-18, vertical side walls 19-19, and a vertical back wall 20.

The slide blocks A-A are two in number for each side frame, four such blocks being provided for each truck. The blocks A-A are all of similar design and "ice arranged in pairs: at; opposite: ends: of the' bo1ster'14i Each block; A. is: in. the form of a heavy" plate of? rectangular outline, having a rearwardly proiecting;.peripl1- era]; flange 21., (Du. its outer side, the block. A is pro?- vided with: laterally spaced, projecting ears 22-22 between which a. horizontally disposed roller 23? ismounted'. The roller23' is rotatably supported by apin 24 extending, through the: same and having its: opposite: endssupported: in aligned openings 25-25 in: said ears.

The springs B are arranged within the pockets- 17" of the: side: frame member 10,. two such springs being disposed iir each pocket, the same being. interposed between the corresponding: block A and the: back. wall of the pocket. Springr centering lugs 26-26: for the. springs B'I-B: are provided on the inner side of each block A and the back wall? 20' of the corresponding. pocket 17;.

The can plates are four in number, two such plates; being mounted on each end of the holster 14'; The. plates. at each. end: of the bolster are arranged atopposrter sides; thereof andcooperate respectively with the rollers 23-23 of the? slide blocks Each plate (1 laterally projecting, horizontal flanges 27-27 at the top and bottom: thereof, engaged with the bolster, the top flange 27 engaging over and the bottom flange. 27: engaging; under the bolster. The portion of each plate C, between. its: top and bottom ends, is bowed inwardly orfonnedwith: a concavity, as indicated". at 28, to provide a. canr surface;- on which the: roller 23 of the. corresponding slide block A beans, The. springs: B-Bl and B-B of the slide btoc'ks; A-A of eachv side frame member 10 are under initial compression to tightly press the rollers 23-23 of the two slide blocks A-A against the cam plates CC.

In the normal expanded condition of the truck springs 15-15, the parts are in substantially the positions shown in Figure 2, the rollers 23-23 of the slide blocks A-A being engaged with the concave cam faces of the cam plates CC at the points of greatest depression of the faces thereof. Thus, as the bolster 14 is being depressed against the truck springs 15-15, the cam plates ride downwardly on the rollers, camming the slide blocks A-A outwardly against the resistance of the springs B-B to snub the action of the truck springs 15-15. Upon recoil of the springs 15-15 and upward movement of the bolster 14, the slide blocks A-A will be moved outwardly in the pockets 17-17 by the expansion of the springs B-B as the rollers 23-23 pass inwardly on the concave cam faces of the plates C-C. Excessive recoil of the springs 15-15 is also efiectively snubbed by my improved arrangement, inasmuch as the slide blocks A-A are cammed outwardly against the springs B-B when the bolster is projected upwardly beyond the position shown in Figure 1.

I claim:

1. In a railway car truck, the combination with side frames provided with bolster guides; of a vertically movable truck bolster on the truck side frames between said guides supported by truck springs supported on said side frames; blocks mounted on said side frames at opposite sides of said bolster; springs reacting between said side frames and blocks, opposing lateral separation of said blocks away from said bolster; a cam roller journaled on each block; and vertically disposed camways on said bolster at opposite sides thereof, each of said camways presenting a pair of outwardly diverging cam faces, said roller being engaged with said cam faces to be forced outwardly against the resistance of said springs as the bolster moves vertically, thereby snubbing the action of the truck springs.

2. In a railway car truck, the combination with side frames provided with bolster guides; of a vertically movable truck bolster on the truck side frames between said guides supported by truck springs resting on said side frames; blocks mounted on said side frames at opposite sides of said bolster; springs reacting between said side frames and blocks opposing lateral separation of said blocks away from said bolster; a cam roller journaled on each block; and a vertically extending, concavely curved cam face on each side of said bolster with which the roller of the corresponding block is engaged to be forced outwardly against the resistance of said springs as the bolster moves vertically, thereby snubbing the action of the truck springs.

3. In a railway car truck, the combination with side frames provided with bolster guides; of a truck bolster on the truck side frames between said guides, supported by truck springs supported on said side frames; horizontally slidable blocks mounted on each side frame at opposite sides of said bolster; a roller on each block; springs reacting between said blocks of each side frame and said side frame to press said blocks toward the bolster; and cam plates fixed to opposite sides of said bolster at each end thereof, each of said cam plates presenting outwardly diverging, top and bottom cam faces which are engaged by the roller of the corresponding slide block.

4. In a railway car truck, the combination with side frames provided with bolster guides; of a vertically movable truck bolster on the truck side frames between said guides, supported by truck springs supported on said side frames; horizontally slidable blocks mounted on each side frame at opposite sides of said bolster; a roller on each block; springs reacting between said blocks of each side frame and said side frame to press said blocks toward the bolster; and cam plates fixed to opposite sides of said bolster at each end thereof, each of said cam plates having a vertically disposed, centrally depressed cam Ifazitcekengaged by the roller of the corresponding slide 5. In a railway car truck, the combination with side frames provided with bolster guides; of a vertically movable truck bolster on the truck side frames between said guides, supported by truck springs supported on said side frames; horizontally slidable blocks mounted on each side frame at opposite sides of said bolster; a roller on each block; springs reacting between said blocks of each side frame and said side frame to press said blocks toward the bolster; and cam plates fixed to opposite sides of said bolster at each end thereof, each of said cam plates presenting a vertically disposed, concave cam face on its 8111611; side engaged by the roller of the corresponding slide 6. In a railway car truck, the combination with side frames provided with bolster guides; of a vertically movable truck bolster on the truck side frames between said guides supported by truck springs supported on said side frames; blocks mounted on said side frames at opposite sides of said bolster; cushioning elements in the form of springs buttressed against said side frames and bearing on said blocks, said cushioning elements yieldingly opposing separation of said blocks away from said bolster; a cam roller journaled on each block; and vertically extending camways on said bolster at opposite sides thereof, each of said camways being inwardly depressed between the ends thereof, said rollers being in engagement with said camways to be forced outwardly against the resistance of said cushioning elements as the bolster moves vertically, thereby snubbing the action of the truck springs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,101,993 Bowen June 30, 1914 1,167,848 Sears Ian. 11, 1916 1,173,397 Trowbridge Feb. 29, 1916 1,695,085 Cardwell Dec. 11, 1928 2,141,767 Camp Dec. 27, 1938 2,366,973 Light Jan. 9, 1945 

